Edge installation for sheet floor covering

ABSTRACT

A long, narrow, wedge shaped finishing member is installed secured to the underside of sheet floor covering and to the upper surface of the underlying floor structure. The wedge is relatively thick in its wall side thinning to a parallel, opposite feather edge. Butted against vertical surfaces such as bathtub sides or bathroom walls, it provides a downwardly sloping strip to drain away pooled water from the critical edge portion of the floor installation, preventing penetration and floor bonding failures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field

The field of the invention is floor covering installations using vinyland linoleum sheeting, and more particularly such installations atjunctures of the edges of the sheeting with upstanding walls, bathtubs,door sills and the like.

2. State of the Art

It has been customary to use finishing members beneath the edge portionsof linoleum and vinyl floor covering sheets at walls to hide rough cutedges, and to forestall perimeter water damages. Finishing members havebeen in the form of elongate coves formed of wood or molded of plasticmaterials, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,739,077 and 3,192,576.Such coves provide a vertical back side that abutts the wall, along withan outwardly facing concave portion and a flat underside which issecured to the associated underlying floor structure. Typically, thefloor covering sheet is bent to conform to the cove and to extend up thewall a few inches. A downwardly opening metal or plastic flashing iscommonly fastened to the wall to cover the unsightly cut edge of thesheet. Corner flashings seal gaps created by the necessary notching ofthe sheet to fit the molding in these areas. At bathtubs, flooringsheets commonly butt horizontally against upstanding tub sides. Suchjoints are caulked to hopefully prevent water penetration, butnevertheless frequently result in water damage. Other dangerous areasinclude dishwasher and laundry installations, the sills of sliding glassdoors and shower stalls. Cove molding is not adaptable to many of theseproblems, and is in any event overly complex and expensive.

An improved system is needed for more effective and economical sealingof the edges of water impervious sheet floor coverings against waterdamage.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention eliminates or substantially alleviates theforegoing disadvantages and shortcomings in prior art sheet floorcovering installations, by providing a sheet edge installation whichprevents pooling of water, and which eliminates sheet notching atcorners, so as to avoid creating additional cut edge areas requiringsealing against water. This construction substantially eliminates sheetedge water damage.

A narrow, elongate, thin, wedge-shaped finishing member is installedsecured to the underside of the covering and to the upper surface of theunderlying floor structure. The wedge is relatively thick at its wallside, thinning to a parallel, opposite feather edge. It is buttedagainst vertical surfaces such as bathtub sides, or bathroom walls.

The finishing wedge is preferably installed with its thick edge alignedvertically below the inside edge of baseboard moldings, if present,which rest upon the upper surface of the sheet. With all installations,the sheet upper surfaces at the edge slope everywhere away from thevertical joining walls and surfaces causing water to flow positivelyaway from these vulnerable sheet edge areas, rather than penetrating thejoints to cause perimeter water damage.

The wedge finishing member is quite shallow, and its cross taper quitegradual, so that the sheet conforms easily to the upper surface of thewedge without being cut to fit, even at the corners.

It is therefore the principal object of the invention to provide moreeffective edge installations for sheet flooring materials at walls andother vertical surfaces, which are economical and effectively preventedge water damage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which represent the best modes presently contemplatedfor carrying out the invention,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bathroom employing a waterproof sheetflooring, said Figure indicating various applications of the edgeinstallation of the present invention, drawn to a reduced scale,

FIG. 2 is cross sectional view of a feather wedge finishing member inaccordance with the invention, drawn to approximately full scale,

FIG. 3 a perspective view of fragments of two sections of the finishingmember of FIG. 2 shown in joining, mitered relationship, drawn to thescale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 a bottom view of a fragment of the finishing member of FIG. 2,drawn to the same scale,

FIG. 5 a cross sectional view of another acceptable embodiment of afinishing member employed in the invention, drawn to the scale of FIG.2,

FIG. 6 a vertical cross sectional view of an edge installation inaccordance with the invention, employed in combination with the sill ofa doorway, drawn to the scale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 a cross sectional view of an edge installation in accordance withthe invention used in conjunction with the upstanding wall of thebathtub, drawn to the scale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 8 a perspective view of an edge installation in accordance with theinvention, used in conjunction with a wall baseboard, said installationshown extending around the intersection of two walls, drawn to the scaleof FIG. 2,

FIG. 9 a cross sectional view of the installation of FIG. 8, taken alongline 9--9 thereof, drawn to the scale of FIG. 2, showing the conformanceof the sheet covering to the contours of the mitered, joining finishingmembers, drawn to the scale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 10 a cross sectional view of a state of the art installation at abathtub wall, drawn to the scale of FIG. 2,

FIG. 11 a vertical cross sectional view of an installation utilizing aprior art cove finishing member, drawn to a smaller scale than that ofFIG. 2,

FIG. 12 a perspective view of an edge installation utilizing the cove ofFIG. 11, drawn to a reduced scale,

FIG. 13 a prior art installation of a flexible sheet floor covering atthe sill of a door, drawn to a slightly smaller than FIG. 2, and

FIG. 14 a vertical cross sectional view of a prior art edge installationat a wall carrying a baseboard, drawn to the approximate scale of FIG.2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical dwelling house bathroom, illustratingseveral common flooring edge areas for use of sheet flooring edgeinstallation 10 to prevent water damage. These include side 11 of tub12, the bathroom walls 14, bathroom walls with a baseboard 16, vanitycabinet walls 17, and doorsill 18. Not indicated are washing machineinstallations, also posing critical water damage problems for floors.

The floors of bathrooms variously comprise water impervious vinylsheeting, linoleum, or the like. Whatever sheet covering is used, thejunctions of its edges with tubs, bathroom walls and the like allpresent risk of water damage. Water which manages to penetrate jointcracks may destroy floor cover adhesives, causing sheet separation,curling and cracking. Sustained long-term penetration may soak andsubsequently rot underlying flooring boards.

Prior art FIG. 10 indicates a typical prior art installation at abathtub wall 11. Water 19, spilling from the tub during use or cleaning,flows down wall 11 to collect and pool at its junction with edge 20 offloor covering sheet 21. A caulking compound fillet 22 used to seal thejunctions often cracks or separates from wall 11, allowing waterpenetration. Even tiny cracks of capillary size are harmful, because thewater tends to wick therealong and eventually penetrate the junction.

At floor-to-wall junctions, a complexly shaped cove member 23 iscommonly used. (Prior art FIGS. 11.& 12) Floor covering sheet 21 isnotched at each corner, so that a wide strip 24 may be curled up to thewall to avoid wetting of its edge 20, concealed by plastic or metalflashing 25. The notching at each corner creates additional watervulnerable edges, which extend down to the lower floor level. Sheetinggaps are concealed by corner flashings 26. FIGS. 13 and 14 indicateprior art floor installations at a door sill 18 and a wall with abaseboard molding 16.

Edge installation 10 is shown installed about the perimeter of thebathroom of FIG. 1. Wedge finishing member 28 is revealed by flooringcutaways at tub 11, walls 14 and 15, doorsill 18, and vanity wall 17.The tub installation is seen in vertical cross section in FIG. 7, drawnto essentially full scale. The thin, wedge-shaped finishing member 28 isbonded to the undersurface of sheeting 21 at edge 20. Thick side 29 ofwedge 28 is butted against tube wall 11, so that its opposite,essentially feathered, edge 30 lies outwardly away from the tub. Wedgebottom surface 31 is bonded to flooring structure 32. A bead of sealant33, preferably rubberoid, may be used at the junction of sheet edge 20and tub wall 11.

The effectiveness of installation 10 stems from the shape of finishingmember 28 and from its limited height 34 and small taper angle 35.(FIGS. 2-4) A gradual but positive downward slope from, for example, tubwall 11 outwardly toward the center of the floor assures that any watermust flow promptly away from the sheet edge 20. State of the artinstallations at tubs, for example, typically provide no downward gradeaway from water vulnerable cover edges 20.

Because the wedge 28 is shallow and wide, the sheet 21 is not severelystressed when shaped to conform and be bonded thereto, nor are the sheetto wedge bonds heavily taxed. Excessively steep, thick wedges wouldresembly state of the art cove configurations, and have similarattendant problems, requiring running the sheet up the wall and notchingthe sheet at the corners. Corner notching is not required with theshallow finishing wedges 28 of installation 10. Sheet 21 is easily bentto conform to abutted mitered wedges 28 at corners. Thus, the integrityof the sheet edge seal is maintained at such corners. (FIGS. 3, 8 and 9)

Although acceptable sizes and shapes of the wedges 28 cannot beprecisely specified nor limited, important limiting dimensions arestrongly indicated by experience. For example, a wedge height 34 of atleast 3/16" appears necessary to provide sufficient height for therequired downward slope. Heights of 1/2 or 9/16" began to create bondingproblems between wedge and sheet, especially at corners, and arewasteful of wedge material. Whatever height is used, the wedge angle 35preferably should not exceed 15°, to obviate any bonding stressproblems. To efficiently utilize wedge material, provide a reliablebonding angle, and obviate corner bonding problems, a height of 1/4",along with a width 36 of about 1 15/16" and an associated wedge angle 35of about 71/2°, has proven to be a near optimum configuration for wedgefinishing member 28.

In FIG. 8, an edge installation 10 is shown at an interior wall face 14having a baseboard molding 16. Wedge member 28 is installed separatedsomewhat from wall 14, with its thicker edge 29 vertically in line withouter side 37 of molding 16. Floor covering sheet 21, secured to featherwedge 28, extends beneath the baseboard a short distance toward thewall. Baseboard 16 is installed with its outside bottom edge snugly downupon sheet 21, which slopes immediately therefrom down and away to drainwater from the joint.

An essentially similar installation 10 is used at doorsills 18 withthicker edge 29 of feather wedge 28 extending beneath the sill. (FIG. 6)

Cutouts 38 and 39 along the bottom 31 of finishing wedge 28 serve todecrease the amount of required material, while maintaining strong baseportions 40 and 41 for securement to the floor and support upwardlythereupon. (FIGS. 2-4) However, plain wedge shapes would be equallyfunctional. (FIG. 5)

Feather finishing member 28 is preferably made by extrusion of polyvinylchloride plastic for light weight, economy, good workability anddurability. Other plastics, wood and even metal may also be functionallyacceptable.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered as illustrative and notrestrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appendedclaims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes thatcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims aretherefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:
 1. An installation for an edge portion of a flexible, waterimpervious, floor covering sheet at a junction of a horizontalunderlying floor structure with a vertical structure, said installationcomprising:a finishing member having a vertically extending side facingthe vertical structure, said member having an uppermost edge joined toan upwardly facing essentially feathered planar surface, said featherededge also joining with a horizontal, downwardly facing planar surfacebearing upon the underlying floor structure beneath the finishingmember; means securing the finishing member to the underlying floorstructure; and adhesive means securing the upwardly facing planarsurface to the floor covering sheet.
 2. The installation of claim 1,wherein:the finishing member is installed with at least a portionthereof at the uppermost edge thereof abutting the vertical structure;and the floor covering sheet extends to abut against the verticalstructure adjacent said uppermost edge of the finishing member.
 3. Theinstallation of claim 1, wherein:the vertical structure includes abaseboard with a horizontal outermost lower edge bearing upon the floorcovering sheet; the finishing member is secured to the underlying floorstructure with the uppermost edge thereof aligned vertically below thehorizontal outermost edge of the baseboard; and an edge portion of thefloor covering sheet extends beyond said edge of the baseboard towardthe vertical structure.
 4. The installation of claim 1, wherein:thehorizontal planar surface joining the feathered edge of the finishingmember extends horizontally unbroken to join the vertically extendingside facing the vertical structure.
 5. The installation of claim 1,wherein the horizontal planar surface joining the feathered edge of thefinishing member extends partially the width of said finishing member,and said finishing member further comprises:at least one additionalplanar horizontal surface portion parallel to, co-planar with andhorizontally spaced apart from, the feathered edge joining portion.